Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Glossary of Terms

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Acquired: Not inherited, or present at birth (congenital), but developing after birth. For...

Anesthetic: A substance that causes lack of feeling or awareness, dulling pain to permit s...

Anterior: The front, as opposed to the posterior. The anterior surface of the heart is tow...

Aseptic: The absence of microorganisms. By contrast, something that just discourages the g...

Back pain: Pain felt in the low or upper back. Causes of pain in the low and upper back in...

Coxsackievirus: A family of enteroviruses first found in the town Coxsackie, south of Alba...

Dehydration: Excessive loss of body water. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that ca...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Differentiation: 1 The process by which cells become progressively more specialize...

Discharge: 1.The flow of fluid from part of the body, such as from the nose or vag...

Dry skin: Abnormally dry skin. Can be caused by a dry climate, winter weather, deficiency...

Encephalitis: Inflammation of the brain, which may be caused by a bacterium, a virus, or a...

Enterovirus: A virus that enters the body through the gastrointestinal tract and thrives ...

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

Gingiva: The gums.

Headache: A pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the he...

Herpangina: A viral illness in which small, painful ulcers and sores are found inside the ...

Hygiene: The science of preventive medicine and the preservation of health. Also commonly ...

Immunity: The condition of being immune. Immunity can be innate'for example, humans are in...

Incubation period: In medicine, the time from the moment of exposure to an infectious agen...

Infant: A young baby, from birth to 12 months of age.

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Inflammatory response: A fundamental type of response by the body to disease and injury, a...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Lethargy: Abnormal drowsiness, stupor.

Lips: Aside from the lips of the mouth, there are two pairs of lips at the entrance to the...

Malaise: A vague feeling of discomfort, one that cannot be pinned down but is often sensed...

Meningitis: Inflammation of the meninges, the three membranes that envelop the brain and t...

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

Mucous: Pertaining to mucus, a thick fluid produced by the lining of some tissues of the b...

Nasal: Having to do with the nose.

Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Palate: The roof of the mouth. The front portion is bony (hard palate), and the back porti...

Pharynx: The hollow tube that is about 5 inches long and starts behind the nose and ends a...

Posterior: The back or behind, as opposed to the anterior.

Rash: Breaking out (eruption) of the skin. A rash can be caused by an underlying medical c...

Saliva: a watery secretion in the mouth produced by the salivary glands that aids in the d...

Sore: 1. (adjective) A popular term for painful, such as a sore throat. 2. (...

Sore throat: Pain in the throat. Sore throat may be caused by many different causes, inclu...

Stool: The solid matter that is discharged in a bowel movement.

Throat: The throat is the anterior (front) portion of the neck beginning at the back of th...

Tongue: A strong muscle that is anchored to the floor of the mouth. The tongue is covered ...

Tonsils: Small masses of lymphoid tissue at the back and on both sides of the throat.

Topical: Pertaining to a particular surface area. For example, a topical agent is applied ...

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

Uvula: The anatomic structure that dangles downward at the back of the mouth and is attach...

Vaccines: Microbial preparations of killed or modified microorganisms that can stimulate a...

Vesicles: In dermatology, vesicles are small blisters, most often on the skin. Vesicles al...

Viral: Of or pertaining to a virus. For example, if a person has a viral rash, the rash wa...

Virus: A microorganism that is smaller than a bacterium that cannot grow or reproduce apar...

Viruses: Small living particles that can infect cells and change how the cells function. I...

Weight loss: Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (die...